Update on VTIPL's 2018 Conference - Registration to begin in August Registration for VT Interfaith Power & Light's 2018 conference, A Just Economy to Achieve Climate Goals, will begin in August. The conference will be on Saturday, Oct. 13 at Faith United Methodist Church in South Burlington. George Lakey, our Keynote Speaker, will soon be coming out with his tenth book, How We Win: A guide to nonviolent direct action campaigning. If it hasn't been released by the time of the conference, it will come out soon after. George will also be leading one of the conference workshops, and the plans for the other workshops are coming along well. A "Save the Date" flyer for the conference is included as an attachment near the bottom of VTIPL's website homepage. Please post it on bulletin boards and in newsletters to help us spread the word!

Congregations Invited to Sponsor Conference As we did last year, VTIPL is inviting congregations to be sponsors of the annual conference. The list of congregations that sponsor by donating $50.00 or more will be included in the conference program and posted on VTIPL's website. These sponsorships help cover the costs of holding the conference, and the support is greatly appreciated! Info on sponsoring will soon be on the website or contact VTIPL for more information.

Cool Congregations Certification National Interfaith Power & Light has a certification program through which a congregation's house of worship can receive Cool Congregations Certification. They will get information about the program, and will let national IPL know about work that has been done, or is being planned, to green their building and reduce the carbon footprint. More information is here.

Button Up Vermont 2018: Sign Up and Start Planning For energy committees and others interested in bringing Button Up Vermont activities to your communities, information is now available on how to be a Button Up Vermont Champ or a Button Up Vermont Hero.

New Community Solar for Community Action Array Planned This summer, Southeastern Vermont Community Action (SEVCA) is building a 100% low-income community solar array to deliver solar energy assistance to Vermonters. A recent Vermont Law School study found 1 in 5 Vermonters lives in energy poverty. SEVCA was recently awarded a $111,000 matching grant from the Windham Regional Commission's Renewable Energy Grant Program. This is a huge help, and now matching donations are needed from the community.

Approximately 70 of SEVCA's low-income clients with high energy burdens will become subscribers to the solar project, and they will receive virtual net metering credits on their electricity bills. Anyone who would like to contribute, to help with the remaining funds needed to match the grant, can send a donation to SEVCA, 91 Buck Dr., Westminster, VT 05158. The project will be completed in October 2018. Learn more about SEVCA's Community Solar for Community Action Array here.

September 8th - Mobilization for Climate Action The People's Climate Movement, 350.org, and other groups are working for a huge day of climate action on September 8, 2018. Sign up to be part of it!

Pope Advises Oil Execs - Time to Switch to Alternative Energy Executives of leading petroleum and natural gas companies, along with leaders in investment firms, were invited to the Vatican last month. Pope Francis spoke with them and let them know that there's "no time to lose" in making the switch to alternative energy.

Pricing Carbon Gains Momentum in Massachusetts The State Senate in Massachusetts approved legislation to put a price on carbon. This article has the details.

Vermont's Catholic Leader, Bishop Coyne, Signs Catholic Climate Declaration Vermont's Diocese of Burlington has joined with other U.S. Catholic institutions to express support for taking action to address climate change.

Rep. Yantachka Compares Recent Gas Prices with Carbon Pricing Plan State Rep. Mike Yantachka has shared the following observation: "The recent increase in the price of gasoline by 50 cents in just a few weeks is in stark contrast to the proposal offered by the ESSEX Plan [a carbon pricing plan introduced in the VT legislature], which would have raised prices by 40 cents over 8 years. Each increment of 5 cents per gallon would raise $30 M which would stay in Vermont and be returned to Vermonters in the form of credits on their electric bills. In contrast, 80% of the recent [gas] price increase leaves Vermont and goes into the pockets of Big Oil."

AMA Urged to Rethink Fossil Fuel Investments At the American Medical Association's (AMA) annual House of Delegates meeting held recently in Chicago, some physicians spoke out for having the AMA rid itself of investments in corporations involved in the fossil fuels industry.

Antarctic Ice Melt Rate Tripled in the Past Decade The Washington Post has more about the rapid increase in the melt rate of Antarctica's ice sheet (+200 billion tons of ice going into the ocean annually).

VTIPL helps people of faith and spirit better understand the climate crisis and take action to care for Earth.